Wednesday Pet Roundup- March 20, 2013

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! Here is Kelly out in the snow. Let's hope that March goes out like a lamb...and real soon!

* Did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? I hope you had as much fun as these 50 pets celebrating St. Patrick's Day. 

* Steve Dale says, "The magic solution for good health has four legs and a tail." Agreed!

* From KTRK- TV in Houston, a bittersweet story on a rescue group that cares for terminally ill pets.  "They'll be in a home," says April Plemons, vice president of Long Way Home Animal Sanctuary and Pit Bull Rescue. "Not a shelter, not a kennel, not a crate. In a home."

* A circus in Japan is working to change the country's mind about where they get their pets. Find out what Wow Wow Dog Circus is doing to help promote pet adoption.

* I usually stay away from contests where you have to ask people to vote for your entry, but when Tess from SkinnyScoop nominated Peggy's Pet Place for one of their Top 25 Pet Blogs I was so flattered and excited, I wanted to share the news. Could you please take a moment to jump over and vote for me? To vote, just scroll down through the entries until you find Peggy's Pet Place. Then just click on "like" and leave a comment if you desire. Thank you so much!

* I'm giving away 2 free books-- Once Upon a Flock by Lauren Scheuer. Hurry, contest ends today!

* Congratulations to winner of Woof Pack goodies Tamra H. and Kumfy Koatz harness Shelley P.


 Want more, pawsitive pet tips, good news, and special bonuses? Content not already on the blog? Subscribe to my free newsletter. (Brooks and Kelly say thank you!)

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Pet Blogger Challenge - Paws to Reflect

Once again, Amy from Go Pet Friendly has put us to the task of reviewing our goals and achievements with the third annual pet blogger challenge.This is open to all pet bloggers, so grab the questions, put on your thinking cap, and join the linky!

1.  How long have you been blogging? Provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories.

 I've been blogging 5 or 6 years

Here's last year's post! 

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?

Last year I challenged myself to step it up with more useful content, topics that will help other pet parents or get them thinking.

 3.  Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?

I’ve added Brooks’ Books (book reviews), more guest posts, and a feature called Pointer and Counterpointer, discussing two sides of an issue.  I’ve also started a newsletter, PPP’s Pawsitvely Pets which is kinda like a short, cool ezine, where I share good news, dog treat recipes, and popular posts, and I’m having so much fun with it, I hope you check it out!

 I don’t tend to take on really controversial topics on the blog, but I think I’ve been successful in steering away from obvious topics that may be common knowledge to most pet blog readers who, as you know, are very smart already.  In my effort to avoid controversy, however, I think sometimes I play it too safe. I may brush the surface instead of revealing my deepest thoughts. I still marvel at some of my favorite bloggers (you know who you are!) and wish I’d said that.

4. How often do you post? 

Minimum of 3 days/week, up to 6 days/week

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed?

I love having a schedule!

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

As a freelance writer, I have multiple projects going at all times, so I have to stick to a schedule or I’d have papers and notes flying all over the place and no idea what I’m doing. (Haha reality isn’t much different.) I have a general editorial calendar for the year which is subject to change as the need arises. Then I have a schedule of what specifically I plan to write for a couple months, and I try to post at least a week in advance. I love it when I get several posts scheduled ahead, so that takes the pressure off a bit. The key is being flexible, because I often have to shuffle things around.

I have to admit that I’m never stuck for inspiration, I always have more to blog about than there is time to blog. Kelly and Brooks aren’t always in the midst of exciting blog-worthy stunts, so I read the newspapers and check out pet websites to see what catches my eye and what people are talking about. I receive quite a few requests from companies and individuals asking for reviews or offering guest posts, which I also welcome.

 6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? How much time visiting other blogs? Share your  tips for staying on top of it all.

Agh! The answer is too much and never enough. Most days I visit other blogs and leave comments, and this takes 2 or 3 hours every morning. It could take even longer because I have so many wonderful blogs in my Google reader that I would want to keep up with, but I never can do it all. I love connecting with so many other bloggers and always feel like I’m missing out when I fall behind.

 I have no idea how long it takes to write the blog, it feels like I’m doing it on and off  all day-- between scouting ideas, writing, designing, posting. Book reviews are the most time consuming because it takes a few days to read the books first.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

I feel really good when I get a lot of comments because that means the content was engaging enough to initiate sharing of thoughts and opinions. When I don’t get many comments, I try to analyze if it was a boring topic or was it because I hadn’t had time to connect on all my social media networks? I have no scientific method of analyzing this however! I actually don’t check my stats often, and envy those who analyze posts and are so smart about it all. I check my overall pageviews once in a while and I’m really happy with how well they’ve grown!

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Great question! Actually, if I may, I’d like to ask for help with two issues

*Do you enjoy reading product reviews?
 

*If you’re familiar with my Wednesday Pet Roundup, do you have any tips for how I can improve it? Do you click on the links? Are there too many or too few links? Too much or too little details? Should I move it to a different day of the week? Anything else?

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

My goal is to be more personal, to dig deeper, and to focus on quality posts that say what I really want to say. I will continue to support pet adoption and focus on healthy lifestyles with pets. I am so grateful to this community of bloggers and their pets, some of whom we lost this past year, and I thank you all for being a part of my world. I’m looking forward to continuing to celebrate, support, share and grow together in 2013.

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Wednesday Pet Roundup - Happy Thanksgiving to you and your pets

My daughter's cat Cinnamon claims equal time for feline!

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet roundup! Kelly, Brooks and I hope all your Thanksgiving preparations are going well. Have a wonderful holiday!

* Do dogs protect homes from burglars? Would your dog? Check out this CBS Atlanta video as a papillon mix, german shepherd, rotweiller, pit bull and other dogs are taped during a staged burglary.

* From Mashable: a gadget that allows you to feed your pets from your phone.

* People reacted in shock and anger at video of skydiving cats on a television ad for a Swedish Insurance Company. Did the cats really skydive, or was it a trick?

* I want to take a moment to give thanks to all of you who've signed up for my new newsletter, the response has been wonderful! If you missed it, you can always subscribe to Pawsitively Pets now, we'd love to have you join us. Thanks!

* Finally, check out this funny flow chart!

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In Your Mailbox, with Love

Brooks and Kelly are proud to announce our brand new newsletter, Pawsitively Pets, from Peggy's Pet Place.

We're launching this newsletter to bring you more pet news, go in depth on  issues important to you, and to share good news and happy endings--everything PAWsitive!

By subscribing, you'll get the first look at exciting contests and giveaways, special perks only for newsletter subscribers, and totally new content not seen on the blog.

And, when you subscribe, you'll also get FREE my story A Little Sister for Hudson, as seen in Chicken Soup for the Soul, My Dog's Life.

So won't you please subscribe? Brooks, Kelly and I look forward to seeing you there!
Thank you,
Peggy

Subscribe to my FREE newsletter!

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Wednesday Pet Roundup-- Fall Fling

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! Kelly and Brooks are enjoying the crisp fall weather and working off a few calories before Thanksgiving.

Here are the links for this week.

*Through love, they're healing. 7 former Vick dogs reunited in California.

* From the Daily News, Rachel Ray has donated $500,000 and tons of food for Sandy pets and also $100,000 for people food banks. "When you make a living in food, you have to give back in the same way," she says.

* Fun Election News: Hank the Cat, a Maine coon cat, came in third in the Virginia Senate race. He garnered 6,000 votes.

* Why do cats paw around their food bowls? Mental Floss has the answer.

*Congratulations to the winners of A Dog Named Leaf:
Kate V
Danielle M
Snoopy

* Friday is the launch of my brand new newsletter, Pawsitively Pets from Peggy's Pet Place. Hope you sign up and join in the fun!

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Wednesday Pet Roundup-

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup!
Here are your links for this week:

* More than 600 pets rescued from flood-affected regions. A Facebook group is helping facilitate reunions.

* I love my dogs, but I prefer not to share my meals with them. These pet parents, however, set places for their pets at the dinner table. Check out the Huff Post slideshow. It seems to be more popular with cats.

* A Fox News report theorizes the potential of pets to help provide electrical power to our homes. They found that it would take 765 hamsters running at a reasonable 2 miles per hour to charge your house for one day. (Note: I'm not suggesting we put their theories to the test!)

* From Pawnation, how people are caring for feral cats in Kuwait.

* Don't forget, there's still time to enter to win one of three copies of the book A Dog Named Leaf by Allen and Linda Anderson. You'll love this story about the healing bonds of a special cocker spaniel. Enter today!

*Plus, win one of 3 copies of my book Heart to Heart, Hand in Paw on Goodreads! Contest is open through the end of the month. Good luck!

* Special alert: I'll soon be offering my brand new newsletter, Pawsitively Pets, arriving in your email box twice a month. I'll get more information out soon. I hope you'll sign up for it. Thanks!

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J is for Jobs for Dogs

Pawing through the Alphabet

J is for Jobs for Dogs

I love the way that dogs help people in so many ways. That's why I decided that for the letter J, I would reprint this post from my column, Pawsitively Pets.

Dogs hold many jobs. Police Dog. Guide Dog. Therapy Dog. Kelly works with me in my home office. There are many ways dog help people, each and every day.
Here are five great jobs that your dog can do:

1. Alarm Clock
Just try and sleep late on a Saturday morning. Your pup won’t let you forget that it’s wake-y time! Some dogs like to jump up on the bed and lick your face. Others tug the covers. The only trouble with these models is that there are no snooze buttons.

2. Personal Trainer
Taking your dog on a walk is great for physical fitness. So is retrieving the sticks he won’t fetch…chasing her around the house to reclaim your slipper…wrestling him into the tub for a bath…Who needs a gym membership?

3. Body Guard
Your dog won’t let anything happen to you. If she hears a noise late out night, she’ll bark. Although sometimes she’ll also bark at a shadow or a buzzing housefly. Such security!  

4. Maid
What dog doesn’t make a great vacuum cleaner, scarfing up the crumbs left on the kitchen floor or under the dining room table? And, his tongue would gladly take a swipe at washing those dishes, if you’d let him.

5. Psychiatrist
You can tell your dog your worries. She will always listen and never tell anyone. She knows when you’re sad and puts her head in your lap. Just knowing she is there somehow makes you feel better. She cuddles up beside you and stays for as long as you need. This is the greatest job of all.


Which jobs does your dog hold?

*This column first appeared on Guideposts website, Pawsitively Pets, June 2010.

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